The slimes, as expected, launched the first assault. I managed to block two and dodge one but the last two bashed into my chest. I grunted in pain and fought to keep upright as the slimes bounced off. The slime I had dodged leapt at Susan, but John's arrow cut it off mid-flight.

All I had to do was hold my ground. The slimes had to collect themselves before they launched another attack which left the two wolves for me to deal with. I turned back to them, but what I saw left me terrified. They were about to launch a pair of Wind Balls in my direction.

I have to stop them. Now!

I sprinted at them. My feet aimed to stomp on two of the slimes as I passed by. One of the wolves released its posture and darted forwards to intercept while its ally continued to build pressure.

Now I had to deal with one.

It wasn’t much of an upgrade, but it helped. I thrust my staff at it like a spear, but the wolf darted to the side and leapt towards me in one smooth motion.

Luckily, I had expected that after my first battle. I ducked to one side and swung my staff through the air. It caught the wolf on its side, but the blow lacked the power to stop its advance. Its bulky form crashed into my chest, though I had at least avoided my head being chewed off. The other wolf took one last deep breath and fired all the energy it had collected.

I dropped my staff, grabbed the wolf that had attacked with all my strength and lifted it in front of me. The other wolf watched in horror as its attack crashed into its ally. The Wind Ball didn’t hit me directly, but the force was transmitted through the wolf-shaped shield between us.

The impact knocked me back though, due to my wolfy barricade, I didn’t leave the ground. Two large gouges were cut out of the soil beneath me before I tumbled to the floor. A dull splat hinted that one of the slimes had cushioned me against the impact, which was a plus.

The wolf, which had just saved my life, crushed down on my chest. Its sweaty stench assaulted my nose as I strained to push it off, but I couldn't move it quick enough. A surge of adrenaline blasted through my body, which gave me the strength to push my burden aside. I picked up my staff and thrust it wildly at the approaching wolf.

It dodged the blow and leapt at me... right into my kick.

My strike knocked it back a step, which gave me time to flip to my feet. The wolf leapt at me again, but I managed to move my staff to block its strike. Its teeth closed around my weapon as it pushed me back. My feet left grooves in the floor as I tried to hold my ground. The difference in our levels started to show as I lost ground.

Don't you dare!

I twisted my staff to the side and pushed it to the floor. The wolf hadn't expected the move, so it wasn't able to release its bite before I slammed my foot down on the staff. It's face now buried in the dirt, the wolf lost its ability to push against me.

I rained punches down on the creature. It wiggled back and forth under the rain of blows, but eventually fell still. Before I could rejoice, I heard a deep, rythmic panting from my right.

One of the wolves that had been fighting Bryan had broken off, and was aiming its ranged attack at my side. My staff was still trapped in the wolfs mouth, so it wasn't possible to attempt a block. I rose like a sprinter and prepared to dash aside.

Its attack is quick, but I should be able to dodge it. I need to move at the last second, or it'll just correct its aim...

Before the wolf could complete its attack, a sword flashed through the air and slammed into its side. The creature whined pitiably before it sunk to the floor.

“Stay back, Rook!” Bryan yelled at me. He fought off a crowd of wolves and slimes with a single sword as his other weapon was impaled in the wolf that had moved to attack me. As it was a part of the group he had pulled, he had probably felt like it was his problem to deal with. Even if I would have managed the situation, he had still moved to help me.

So I wanted to return the favour.

I wrenched my staff out of the defeated wolf's jaws and ran towards the distant fight. As I passed, I pulled the sword out of the wolf who had tried to sneak attack me.

“Here!” I tossed the sword underarm. Bryan spun around, caught the blade and used it to parry a slime that had tried to sneak attack him. I cracked my staff down on the back of a distracted wolf, which allowed Bryan a moment to gather his wits before the assault started again.

“Dodge!” He ran towards me. I stared at him in confusion before he rammed me to the side. A ball of pure energy shot past us and slammed into the crowd.

It was different from the last time. Before I had watched from afar whilst this time I was next to the action. My skin tingled as a wave of lightning blasted through the crowd. Bryan took the brunt of it as we rolled to the side, our injuries light compared to the pack who had taken the impact head on.

Bryan coughed and pulled himself to his feet. He checked the pack with a glance before he dashed to Claire’s side. I saw a few cuts and gashes on his arms and legs as he ran forwards, but the warrior ignored them. Claire held her own against the monsters on the left, but she hadn’t done so without loss. Despite her heavy armour, she sported as many injuries as Bryan did.

I shook my head and ran to help. now wasn’t the time to appreciate anything, I had a job to do.

“Stop!” Bryan yelled as he spun towards me. I pulled up short, unsure as to what had aggravated him. Before I could yell my question, an arrow shot out from the forest and landed in front of me. If I had carried on running, it would have hit me square in the chest, which sent a cold chill throughout my body.

Claire and Bryan jumped back from the crowd, which gave the monsters time to recuperate. The goblin had raised itself once more, its gaze locked on to Claire as it grunted and stomped its feet. The monster was uninjured, but it was obviously infuriated. Claire ignored its provocations as she stared into the forest.

“Who’s there!?” She bellowed. Several figures walked out from behind the trees, their grins wide as they looked across at us. The pack of monsters, unsure if these newcomers were friends or foes, gathered ranks and prepared to defend. The goblin marshalled his troops, which consisted of twelve slimes and ten wind wolves. A considerable force, but nowhere near as big a threat as they had been minutes ago.

“You’ve done quite well, eh.”

A man stepped out of the crowd. The others gasped as they saw his appearance, but even I could tell who it was. He was the man who had insulted me in the Guild, a colleague of Claire and her friends. Why his allies had attacked us remained to be seen.

“What’re you doing. It’s against the law to attack-” Claire glared at the group, but her harsh criticisms were cut short as the man laughed at her. A crash echoed out of the forest behind the group, but none of them reacted to it with any fear. The man ignored it as he spoke once more.

“Law, law, law. that’s all you rant on about, Claire.” The man tutted. “You can’t see the wood for the trees. You’re too focused on what’s right in front of you.”

Claire opened her mouth to speak, but the man grinned viciously as he stared past her. Claire and I spun around and finally noticed what the man hinted at.

Susan had sunk to one knee as she gripped the arrow deep in her chest. John had swung his bow to face the new group, his eyes wide as his arms trembled on the string. A single movement and an arrow would flash between the man's eyebrows, but he didn’t seem to care as he giggled at us.

“I don’t know about you, but a potion ain’t gonna cut it here, eh?” He looked up at John. “Try it. You attack, we attack, you lose the one you love as well as your friends. Fair trade, eh?“

“What do you want?” Claire held a palm towards John, an obvious signal to hold fire. Another thud rang out from the forest, louder and closer. “There must be a reason. We can talk this out.”

“It’s simple, really. Leave your loot behind and go back to the town.” The man turned to me. “I gave you a chance to join before, Rook. I have a friend who needs Supporters like you for a little experiment. Come quietly, and I’ll let your friends live.”

“Boss, the vice-leader said we should take them all in. We can use them to train the troll.” One of the masked warriors stepped forwards. The man spun to him and slapped him across the face.

“We don’t have time for that. Just take their loot and let them go.” Another crash interrupted his speech. Whatever made those noises was big, and angry. “It has enough prey. Can’t you hear it having fun? They must be run ragged keeping it under control as it is.”

My hands tightened around my staff. The results of this standoff were clear. Claire would have to make a choice between a long-term ally and a new addition to her group. I believed she wouldn’t enjoy the choice, but the decision made logical sense. She was a trained warrior, such a person wouldn’t let her emotions drive her decisions, right?

It's happening again. I need to get stronger, I can't rely on other people to back me up when I need them to...

But then I saw Claire's face. I had expected her to be thoughtful, or at the very least remorseful as she made her choice. Instead, her eyes had turned cold as she stared at the former guild member. The man hadn't noticed her reaction as he turned to smile at me. If you considered the options he had given Claire, the choice should have been clear, which had given him to confidence to think I was already his prisoner.

“A troll? How are you controlling something like that?” Bryan’s hands whitened as he gripped his swords. “What’re you planning?”

“Nothing you need to know. Friendly warning, you might want to go on a trip in a few weeks.” The man said before he turned back to me. “So, what’s your choice?”

“Bryan, cooldown.” Claire said. Bryan gave her a worried glance before he nodded. She lifted her sword and slammed it against her shield before any of the warriors could react.

“Taunt!”

Once again the monster pack turned to face Claire, attracted by her ability. Before they could run towards us, a loud crash echoed through the area, but the enemy group ignored it as they lifted their weapons in preparation for a fight. The leader turned to look at Claire, his eyes wide as he took a step back.

“Why?” The man gritted his teeth. “I would have let you go.”

“But I won’t let you go!” Claire pointed her sword at him with a grin. “Thanks for the backup.”

“What-” The man started to speak, but before he could finish a huge form burst out from the forest. Over ten feet tall, covered in riveted plates interspersed with patches of thick leather. Its head sat atop its body, like an egg balanced on a sack of grain. A pair of heavy-set eyes burned with fury beneath its one bushy eyebrow.

The monster charged towards Claire. Unfortunately for those who had attacked us, it’s path led it through their group. It ignored the screams and whimpers and it lumbered towards us and lifted the hefty branch in its hand. Like its smaller goblin cousin, the makeshift weapon was as deadly as it was comical. Claire’s taunt was effective as ever as it lifted its club into the sky.

A huge troll versus a tiny human. Despite how much I trusted her, I still didn’t know what her plan was. How would you beat something that monstrous?